Independence Day Essay
But the Fourth of July, Independence Day, is something more than just another holiday. It is the birthday of a great idea-not merely the idea of independence, not merely the idea of the rights of humankind, but also the birthday of a profoundly idealistic and profoundly influential charter of liberty.
The revolution signaled by the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, laid down the principles which have been the foundation stones of human progress ever since-the truths which the Continental Congress declared to be self-evident, although, somehow, most of the world had failed to take notice of them. The Declaration established, and the world steadily followed the statement, that all men are created …show more content…
Then, on the other hand, consider the explosion of recognition for the rights of man which followed, all over the world, in the wake of the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence did not merely signal the birth of American freedom and American self-government. It marked the birth of freedom as an international idea. It was the inspiration for democratic movements on other continents. It raised the torch of liberty and kindled an undying flame.
Back in 1857, Abraham Lincoln, in a truly prophetic observation, noted that the mention in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal" was-and I quote-"a stumbling block to all those who in after times might seek to turn a free people back into the hateful paths of …show more content…
It is the phrase that mentions "a decent respect for the opinions of mankind. "No nation, any more than any man, is an island. We were the first nation to be concerned about a decent respect for the opinions of mankind. Indeed, even more than 200 years later, we seem to be the people most anxious to reach out. Even when we have waged war, we have ended up working to heal the wounds inflicted upon our erstwhile enemies. A decent respect for the opinions of humankind-just one more example of the almost universal application of the document whose birthday we celebrate
The revolution signaled by the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, laid down the principles which have been the foundation stones of human progress ever since-the truths which the Continental Congress declared to be self-evident, although, somehow, most of the world had failed to take notice of them. The Declaration established, and the world steadily followed the statement, that all men are created …show more content…
Then, on the other hand, consider the explosion of recognition for the rights of man which followed, all over the world, in the wake of the Declaration of Independence.
The Declaration of Independence did not merely signal the birth of American freedom and American self-government. It marked the birth of freedom as an international idea. It was the inspiration for democratic movements on other continents. It raised the torch of liberty and kindled an undying flame.
Back in 1857, Abraham Lincoln, in a truly prophetic observation, noted that the mention in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal" was-and I quote-"a stumbling block to all those who in after times might seek to turn a free people back into the hateful paths of …show more content…
It is the phrase that mentions "a decent respect for the opinions of mankind. "No nation, any more than any man, is an island. We were the first nation to be concerned about a decent respect for the opinions of mankind. Indeed, even more than 200 years later, we seem to be the people most anxious to reach out. Even when we have waged war, we have ended up working to heal the wounds inflicted upon our erstwhile enemies. A decent respect for the opinions of humankind-just one more example of the almost universal application of the document whose birthday we celebrate